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La Liga - Mourinho named Coach of the Year Mon, 10 Jan 19:06:00 2011 Jose Mourinho has added to his collection of titles by winning the first FIFA Coach of the Year award. The Portuguese, now with Real Madrid, was given the accolade after leading Inter Milan to a treble of Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup last season. He won the poll ahead of two Spaniards, Vicente del Bosque, who led Spain to last year's World Cup, and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. Former Chelsea coach Mourinho, 47, has won the Champions League with two different clubs having previously led Porto to the title. The new award was organised by FIFA in conjunction with France Football magazine.

PROFILE-Soccer-Argentina title is all that is missing for Messi Mon, 10 Jan 20:45:00 2011 After being voted World Player of the Year for the second year in a row, all that is missing to complete Lionel Messi's career is a senior international trophy with Argentina. The decision to crown Messi ahead of his Spanish Barcelona team mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta, following a year of European dominance, is a timely reminder of the riches that South America has given the game. Many felt that Messi's failure to score at last year's World Cup or help Argentina to go beyond the quarter-finals would prevent him from winning the Player of the Year award again. But the voters -- international coaches, team captains and selected journalists -- appeared to be swayed by the reasoning that Messi's disappointing tournament in South Africa was the result of his team's failings rather than his own. Diego Maradona's team failed to provide him with the service he needed to thrive. He was forced to drop back, look for the ball and set up his team mates when, in truth, it should have been Argentina's midfield which was providing service for Messi. There have been no such problems at Barcelona, where Messi has continued to mesmerise the opposition and the Nou Camp supporters. His four-goal Champions League performance against Arsenal last April was arguably the highlight of a year in which Messi's talent has reached new heights. At his best, he can leave several bemused opponents in his wake and the deft, unpredictable finishes he applies to his work only add to the overall effect. Former Barcelona forward Hristo Stoichkov said there appeared to be only one way to stop a player known as the Atomic Flea. "Once they said they can only stop me with a pistol but today you need a machine gun to stop him," said the Bulgarian. Messi has won the Olympic gold medal with Argentina's under-23 team but a win at the Copa America this year, which his country will host, would be his first with the senior national team. His ultimate goal must be to help Argentina win a third World Cup title in 2014 -- on the soil of their arch-enemies Brazil. It would transform his status in much the same way as Argentina's World Cup 1986 win did for Diego Maradona.

FACTBOX-Soccer-World Player of the Year Lionel Messi Mon, 10 Jan 20:00:00 2011 Factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi who won the World Player of the Year award for the second time in a row on Monday. Born June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina. The 23-year-old is blessed with the same masterly ball control and burst of pace as the great Diego Maradona and his goal against Getafe in a King's Cup match in 2007 was almost a replica of the former Argentina captain's spectacular solo effort against England in the 1986 World Cup. EARLY CAREER * Joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and shone in the youth ranks before then-coach Frank Rijkaard gave him his senior debut at the age of 16 in a friendly against Porto in 2003. * Led Argentina to glory at the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, scoring two penalties in a 2-1 final victory over Nigeria. Like Maradona, ended the tournament with the best player and top scorer trophies. * Became a Spanish citizen in 2005. HITTING HEIGHTS * Made his debut for Argentina in a friendly against Hungary in August 2005, the same opponents Maradona made his debut against as a 16-year-old. Messi was sent off less than a minute after going on as a substitute for elbowing a defender who had pulled his shirt. * A bureaucratic argument over whether he could be classed as a European Union player meant he did not represent Barcelona in a competitive game until 2005. He went on to score six goals in 17 appearances as the club won La Liga for the second year in a row. * Faced a race against time to make the 2006 World Cup and played only a bit-part role in the tournament. Coach Jose Pekerman was heavily criticised for leaving him on the bench as Argentina were knocked out in the quarter-finals by hosts Germany after a penalty shootout. * Led Argentina to the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and came second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year vote behind Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo who was then with Manchester United but is now at Real Madrid. * In the 2009-10 season, Messi played an influential role in Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side that won six trophies including the Champions League, La Liga and the World Club Cup. * Part of the Argentina team coached by Diego Maradona which was dumped out of the 2010 World Cup, losing 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals. Messi failed to score and struggled to find his best form at the tournament in South Africa.

La Liga - Messi wins Ballon d'Or Mon, 10 Jan 19:23:00 2011 Argentina's Lionel Messi won the World Player of the Year for the second time in a row on Monday and Jose Mourinho walked off with the coach's award, leaving Spain's World Cup winners disappointed. Messi surprisingly held off his Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi to win the newly-created FIFA Ballon D'Or, a fusion of the previously separate annual awards handed out by FIFA and France Football magazine. Mourinho, now with Real Madrid, won the inaugural Coach of the Year award after leading Internazionale to a Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup treble. The honour went to the self-styled Special One, who described himself afterwards as "proudly Portuguese", at the expense of Spain's World Cup-winning coach Vicente del Bosque and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola. "The most important trophies for me are the collective ones, not the individual ones but this is a historic trophy for me and Portuguese football," Mourinho said. Iniesta and Xavi had been favourites after helping Spain win the World Cup last year while Messi had failed to score a goal or produce his best form at the tournament in South Afica. "It was just good to be here with my team mates," said Messi, who looked as surprised as anyone by the result which was announced by Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "I'd like to share this with my team mates, without whom I would not be here, and...with all the Argentines." It was the first time the award had been made since the decision to unite FIFA's World Player of the Year award with France Football magazine's older Ballon D'Or. Messi won both awards last season. The only Spanish winner of either prize was Luis Suarez who won the Ballon D'Or in 1960. Spain's only consolation was that they had six players in the world team of the year, Iniesta and Xavi joined by Iker Casillas, David Villa, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Brazilians Lucio and Maicon, Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi completed the line-up. Votes were cast by the coaches and captains of national teams and by selected journalists. Messi produced some scintillating performances for Barcelona last year, but failed to inspire Argentina who were knocked out in the quarter-finals in South Africa. A host of other awards were handed out by FIFA with South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu and the Haitian women's U17 team among other winners. The 79-year-old Tutu, who used his church pulpit as a platform to help bring down apartheid, took the FIFA Presidential Award. The Haitian team were given the Fair Play award for taking part in the CONCACAF under-17 women's championship in Costa Rica two months after the huge earthquake which devastated their country at the start of last year. FIFA's goal of the year award went to Turkey's Hamit Altintop for a spectacular volley against Kazahstan and Brazil's Martha was named women's Player of the Year for the fifth time in a row.

Alamak !...cannot buy moi-moi vroom-vroom 'FERRARI' liao...SIGH ! LTA to issue 3 per cent fewer COEs for 6 months By Ewen Boey – January 10th, 2011 The Government will be issuing fewer Certificates of Entitlement (COEs), said Transport Minister Raymond Lim in Parliament. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will make 22,368 COEs available in the six months between February and July — a 3 per cent drop, or 3,728 fewer, from the previous six-month period, reported The Straits Times. The new figures take into account the LTA’s over-projection of the number of vehicles to be de-registered. Mr Lim clarified that the remaining 9,577 COEs to be corrected will now be spread over three years instead of just one, after consulting the relevant stakeholders. The new COE quota will cater for a 1.5 per cent growth at the end of 2010, which was 921,958. It also takes into consideration replacement COEs for vehicles de-registered in the last six months of 2010, as well as adjustments for over-estimations of vehicle de-registrations in 2008 and 2009.

Cost of living in S’pore to rise further By Alicia Wong – January 10th, 2011 The cost of living, driven partly by higher food prices, is expected to soar further in the first three months of this year before moderating, said Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in Parliament on Monday. But he assured the House that the Budget, which is coming next month, will contain measures to help shield Singaporeans from the quickening inflation, reported The Straits Times. “The Government will take into account the impact of inflation and the needs of low-income and retiree households when considering further transfers,” said Mr Shanmugaratnam. He also hinted that current assistance schemes such as the ComCare Fund may be enhanced. Inflation in Singapore hit 3.8 per cent in November from a year ago, the largest jump since January 2009. Meanwhile, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran also cautioned that Singapore will have to watch for over-heating and inflationary pressures as the labour market tightens and capacity constraints become more binding. He said Singapore does not need stimulus measures this year, reported Channel NewsAsia. Terming last year’s near-15 per cent GDP growth as “exceptional”, Mr Iswaran said the expected four to six per cent growth this year is still above the government’s medium-term growth potential estimate. The estimate is about three to five per cent per annum. The emphasis going forward with the economy at “full employment”, will be on raising workforce productivity and increasing economic competitiveness over the medium term, he said.

Same rules for citizen, PR siblings: HDB By Kai Fong – January 10th, 2011 Disgruntled Singaporeans who felt that the Housing Development Board was biased towards permanent residents (PRs) can finally feel more at ease – the HDB has clarified that homebuyers who are siblings and unmarried, whether citizens or PRs, can apply to buy HDB resale flats if their parents live overseas and do not already own a public flat. They do not have to be above the age of 35, and their applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis, according to The Straits Times (ST). The clarifications were made in response to ST’s queries after concerns about the sibling rule surfaced recently in online forums. Some users had noted that unmarried PR siblings above the age of 21 were allowed to buy HDB resale flats whereas Singapore citizen siblings were not. Under HDB rules, unmarried Singapore citizens can buy HDB resale flats only if they are above the age of 35 under the Singapore Citizen scheme. An exception only occurs when siblings fall under the Orphans Scheme, which allows those below 35 to purchase a resale flat if their parents are dead. When asked why there was a difference in the way the rules treated citizens and PR siblings, the HDB clarified otherwise – applications from any unmarried siblings above 21 whose parents are alive as long as the parents live overseas and do not own a HDB flat concurrently will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It did not say how many flats are owned by siblings in such situations, but industry observers noted that such cases are quite rare. Dennis Wee Group director Chris Koh told the same paper that less than 5 per cent of HDB resale flats sold fall into this category. He added that the perception that more PR siblings are buying HDB resale flats mostly came about because they are more likely to fulfill the requirements. An escalating number of PRs and foreigners in Singapore has raised much immigration concerns in recent years, particularly with regard to rules and privileges for citizens and PRs. Already addressing these concerns in March last year, the HDB had made a bigger distinction between benefits for citizens and PRs. New quotas on PR ownership of flats in specific blocks and neighbourhoods were set and it was also noted that a citizen-PR couple will receive S$10,000 less subsidy than a citizen-citizen couple. Not everyone is appeased by HDB’s clarification, however. Letter writer Mr Tan, 33, who runs his own health-care business, said he still fears PR siblings will compete with Singaporeans for flats since they are more likely to meet the eligibility criteria. On the other hand, Dennis Wee Group’s Mr Koh felt the policy was fair as “policymakers must also cater to those PR siblings who have chosen to sink their roots here and buy homes”.

'GARANG' GAL !!! Lawyer planned trap in bid to capture ‘Gary Ng’ By Faris – January 10th, 2011 His next ‘potential conquest’ had apparently set up a rendezvous in a hotel. But unknown to ‘Gary Ng’, it was a trap to get him arrested. Ms Yeo Poh Tiang, a lawyer, decided to lure him into the open, first by chatting with him online for hours – he had posted his e-mail address on his blog. Later, she gave him her mobile number and they set up a rendezvous at Amara Hotel. Unknown to him, she had tipped off the police. However, when Ms Yeo, 30, was just about to leave her office in Tanjong Pagar for the appointment, the police had called the operation off. Chen was nabbed at home that night, after she had given the police some leads. “I think it’s a waste that the ambush didn’t go through, but things turned out well in the end, so I have nothing to complain about,” she told The Sunday Times with a shrug. She had devised the plan after several women whom Chen had cheated of their money approached her for help late last year. “It’s not a creative tactic – I’m just doing something extra for my clients, trying to think of ways to help them,” said Ms Yeo, who studied law at Birmingham University in Britain and had just set up her law firm last year. “Any lawyer can do it. An old male lawyer can also pretend to be a paedophile on the Internet.” Her target, known to netizens as ‘Gary Ng’, who was infamous for the filmed sexual exploits that he posted online, is Chen Guilin in real life. Chen pleaded guilty last Tuesday to possessing 507 obscene films, of which more than 480 were clips of him having sex with different women. The former property agent also admitted in court to seven other offences, including breaking into the home of his client while she was away, forgery and criminal breach of trust. Ms Yeo’s actions on the other hand have apparently brought her some fame. Some current and previous clients also called her. ‘They told me things like, I’m so proud of you!’ she said, with a laugh. Her retired father, 60, used to run a business manufacturing fish maw, while her 55-year-old mother is a housewife. The media attention on the case, however, has caused a few of her clients to reconsider pursuing a civil suit against Chen. “A couple of them have decided not to proceed… they are thinking it over. I think it’s because of the media stress,” said Ms Yeo. Chen was reportedly arrested in October last year after some women made police reports against him, saying he had cheated them of money. In all, he committed 21 offences over a four-year period from 2006 to June last year, involving property worth S$171,770. He initially faced 21 charges but 13 were taken into consideration. While Chen is currently out on a S$72,000 bail, he will be sentenced on Jan 19. For forgery, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine on each charge. In addition, for housebreaking, he can be jailed up to 10 years while for possessing obscene films, Chen can be jailed up to six months.

FA Cup - Babel could face action over Webb photo Sun, 09 Jan 19:40:00 2011 Ryan Babel has apologised for comments he made about referee Howard Webb in the aftermath of Liverpool's FA Cup exit to Manchester United. The Holland international used his Twitter account to post a mocked-up picture of Webb wearing a United shirt, after the World Cup official awarded the home side a first-minute penalty and sent off Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. The Football Association confirmed to Press Association Sport that they would be looking into the matter, as Babel also wrote: "And they call him one of the best referees? That's a joke. SMH." SMH is an abbreviation for "shaking my head" but the 24-year-old has since added: "My apology if they take my posted pic seriously. This is just an emotional reaction after losing an important game. Sorry Howard Webb." Last January, Babel criticised former Reds manager Rafael Benitez on the social networking site, and he is not the first Liverpool player to court online controversy this weekend. On Saturday, defender Glen Johnson, who missed Sunday's game as his wife had gone into labour, launched an attack on TV pundit Paul Merson after he criticised his performances for the Reds. "Comments from alcoholic drug abusers are not really gonna upset me and who is Paul Merson to judge players, he was average at the best of times," Johnson wrote. "The only reason he's on that show is coz he gambled all his money away. The clown!" A number of people complained that Johnson had brought up Merson's former drug problems and the comments were soon deleted. Back to Sunday - and new Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish called Webb's penalty decision a "joke" and also disputed Gerrard's dismissal, but his son Paul, the former Newcastle striker, went even further via his own Twitter account. He claimed: "Fergie has his puppet Howard Webb on a piece of string." He also made fun of Webb being given an MBE at the start of the year, adding: "Howard Webb MBE. Manc of the Busby Empire." PA Sport

FA Cup - Managers: Dalglish on 'joke' penalty Sun, 09 Jan 17:16:00 2011 New Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was left to muse on how football has changed after a "joke" penalty and the sending-off of his skipper condemned the Reds to a 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester United. Dalglish's return to English football was shaped by two key decisions from World Cup final referee Howard Webb, the first of which ked to Ryan Giggs' winner. "The penalty is a joke," said Dalglish. "I have seen the replay and unless they have changed the rules it is no penalty. "The other one, I cannot see that as a red card either. "In the dressing room before the game someone said to me the game's not changed that much. "I said `I thought it was a non-contact sport'. Maybe I was right." After the game Dalglish also swept the concerns that he has been away too long to one side and also batted away a question about how he would deal with the pressure, having famously quit in 1991 because of the emotional stress brought on in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster which took a great toll on him personally. "I'll deal with the pressure the same way everyone else deals with it," he said. "You go about your job to the best of your ability and what happens happens. "How do you know you can do anything unless you try it? I'll give it everything I've got to put this club in a better position. Whether that will be sufficient for everyone I don't know but I can't see into the future." Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich Town Carlo Ancelotti: "We needed to have this kind of performance. The result was good and we did a lot of things well in this game - the performance of the team, the strikers scoring again. We don't have to be excited. But, obviously, with this victory, our confidence will improve. We have to wait to say everything is okay. (Danny Sturridge) deserved to play. He played well, scored, is a good player and a good striker, very dangerous. In the future, he'll have opportunities. We have a lot of games in this period coming up." Ipswich caretaker Ian McParland: "I knew what was going to happen today. The boys are a bit shellshocked with the manager going. I'd like to think it would have made a difference (if Roy Keane were still here). For half an hour, we were doing okay. We were in the game. We gave them three bad goals. I've never been beaten like that. It hurts my pride but I'll bounce back. Let's not forget who the lads were playing against. Some Premier League clubs were beat seven or eight here last year, so maybe we're in good company." Leicester City 2-2 Manchester City Sven-Goran Eriksson: "We came up against one of the best teams in the country so we must be happy. We tried to win the game but you have to be careful because if you open yourself up you can get caught, but they did very well today. I am looking forward to it (the replay) and it is a great experience for all the players. It will be difficult (to get a result) but why not?" Roberto Mancini: "We had a lot of chances in the second half but this is the cup, it's important we understand the competition, and to win it we must be better than tonight. (Sol) Bamba is very tall and physical and next time we must pay more attention to him. (Joe Hart) has saved us a lot of times, but it's important that we have another chance." Tottenham 3-0 Charlton Tottenham assistant manager Kevin Bond: "I thought it was a terrific performance from (Andros Townsend) making his debut. If Harry feels he can bring someone in to improve the squad then he said he would look at it. (But) looking at Andros, it looks like we might benefit from having him around. Maybe we were predictable in the first half and you need someone with that something different to unlock the door. (Luka Modric) certainly has that." Charlton caretaker Keith Peacock: "I'm proud of the way the players performed. As soon as I saw who was coming on the pitch at half-time, I thought we would have a problem. You love watching him on the ball, but not when you are playing against him. The little pieces I've seen of him, and what I saw in this game, he is right up there with the best." PA Sport

The END is Nigh...??? Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity AFP - Friday, January 7 WASHINGTON (AFP) - – Five thousand dead blackbirds rained from the sky on the first day of the New Year in Arkansas. Then more dead birds fell in other states. Then huge fish kills were discovered in multiple US waterways. And suddenly it became a worldwide phenomenon, with reports of mass die-offs of birds and fish in Sweden, Britain, Japan, Thailand, Brazil and beyond. Doves, jellyfish, snapper, jackdaws... it seemed no species was immune. Conspiracy theorists, doomsdayers and religious extremists warned that the end was nigh. Could it be astronauts testing a potent sound beam to ward off aliens? The US military experimenting with satellite-powered energy weapons? What about chemical sprays, meteor showers, or earthquakes activating pollutants from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? "Birds" surged to the most searched term on The New York Times website. Religious bloggers loaded their sites with Bible verse, Hosea 4:1-3: "The land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away." But as speculation roiled the blogosphere, wildlife experts rolled their eyes. "It is not that unusual," said Kristen Schuler, a scientist at the US Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center. "There is nothing apocalyptic or anything that is necessarily out of the ordinary for what we would see in any given week." Indeed, the USGS keeps a log on its website with reports of groups of birds dying each week, averaging from dozens to thousands. Regarding the bird deaths in Arkansas, where the local custom is to set off fireworks to mark New Year's Eve, officials determined it was likely that the noise set off a deadly bird panic. "It appears unusually loud noises, reported shortly before the birds began to fall, caused the birds to flush from a roost," the USGS National Wildlife Health Center said in a statement posted on the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission website. "Additional fireworks in the area may have forced the birds to fly at a lower altitude than normal and hit houses, vehicles, trees and other objects. Blackbirds have poor night vision and typically do not fly at night." In Louisiana, Schuler said it looked like cold weather might have killed off about 500 birds. Meanwhile in Maryland, locals were spooked by reports of some two million dead fish in the Chesapeake Bay. But officials were quick to assuage those concerns, saying the deaths were a result of an unusual cold snap, combined with an overpopulation of a species known as spot fish. "Natural causes appear to be the reason for the deaths of the fish," said a statement by the Maryland Department of the Environment. "Spot may have difficulty surviving in colder temperatures, and the species susceptibility to winter kills is well-documented," it said, noting that surface water temperatures last month were the coldest in 25 years. As for the bird and fish deaths elsewhere in the world, many were still under investigation. According to the National Wildlife Federation's Doug Inkley, the most frequent cause of mass death in birds is disease, though pollution and "just plain accidents" can also trigger large scale die-offs. Often, people just are not aware of them. "Most of the time these areas are not near human habitation such as in forests or in the woods," he said on CNN. But in today's Internet Age, when hardly anything remains secret, word of mass bird deaths has spread with unparalleled speed. "In 1960 if a bunch of birds started falling from the sky it may have been noticed by some people. It may have gotten reported in the local paper, but it may never have gotten any further than that," said Robert Thompson, professor of pop culture at Syracuse University. "Now some of these kinds of stories, because they get out there on the Internet, if they are compelling enough they can immediately make this jump to national news," he said. "Let's face it, big quantities of birds falling from the sky or fish going belly up is a pretty compelling story."

Property market outlook for 2011: All eyes on the HDB market By PropertyGuru – January 5th, 2011 By Khalil Adis (courtesy of PropertyGuru) Rising prices of public flats will be a hot elections issue. However, it remains to be seen if the cooling measures have actually worked. With elections expected to be called sometime in 2011, all eyes are on the HDB market to see if the cooling measures implemented by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan have actually worked. Last year, a slew of property curbs were introduced to both the private and public housing markets. In August, specifically, the government finally intervened to cool the HDB market after much outcry from the public. Many Singaporeans believe the price spikes are caused by permanent residents (PRs) who are eligible to buy resale HDB flats. According to a report by the United Nations, 40 percent of Singapore’s population is now made up of foreigners. Fears of a property bubble forming in the HDB market are very real. Last July, a HDB flat reached the million-dollar mark when a Singaporean couple paid S$1.1 million for a Bishan flat. This is some $200,000 more than the official valuation. The rising prices of HDB flats is fast becoming a “hot potato” for the government as 80 percent of Singapore’s population can only afford to buy public flats. “There’s no denying that the recent measures are an election move to placate the public to show that the government is doing something,” says an analyst who wishes to remain anonymous. Minister Mah confirmed this recently during an interview with the TODAY newspaper. “If you ask me whether it has got anything to do with the elections, the answer is yes. Everything has got to do with the elections,” he was quoted as saying. Prices still rising Despite the cooling measures, property prices are still rising. Flash estimates for the fourth quarter from the Housing Development Board (HDB) shows the Resale Price Index (RPI) is set to rise 2.4 percent to reach 171.9 points. Prices of HDB resale flats had been increasing steadily from the second quarter of 2003. Taking the flash estimates into consideration, HDB prices have now gone up by almost 70 percent compared to the said period in 2003. Meanwhile, in the private sector, the property price index climbed to yet another record high. Flash estimates from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) show private home prices are expected to inch up 2.7 percent to reach 194.8 points. Transactions and COVs dropping While prices are still rising, the volume of resale transactions and Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) that buyers of resale HDB flats have to pay, have dropped. According to PropNex, HDB resale transactions dropped 50 percent the week after the new rules were introduced. Meanwhile, median COVs have dropped in the fourth quarter. “According to our monthly transactions for the fourth quarter, overall median COV levels have dropped from $30,000 in the third quarter to $26,000 in October, $23,000 in November and $20,000 in December, in line with HDB’s flash estimate of a drop to $23,000 for the quarter. This is an indication that the overall median COV level for the country for the fourth quarter, which will be released on 28 January 2011, should fall by about 23 percent quarter-on-quarter,” says PropNex’s chief executive officer, Mohamed Ismail. Too early to tell Despite the rising prices, analysts say the fourth quarter’s flash estimates are not truly representative on the impact of the cooling measures. “Although these figures indicate yet another all-time record for both the public and private housing markets, it is important to note that the growth is indeed slowing down and attaining more sustainable levels,” says Mohamed Ismail. Others say external factors like an economic crisis will have a much more severe impact to cause property prices to drop rather than government intervention. “When the economy is buoyant, credit is easy and positive sentiments are strong, it is difficult for government measures to have a substantial impact. At most, such measures will slow down the transaction volume and moderate the increase in prices or at most cause a temporary fall in prices depending on the severity of the measures,” says Chua Chor Hoon, Head of Southeast Asia Research for DTZ. In a recent media interview, Minister Mah said it will take a few more months before the full extent of the August changes are felt. Analysts also agree saying it is too early to tell. “The measures cannot be said to be ineffective, as we have yet to see a full quarter with the measures’ impact. On the ground, we have already heard of a softer market with speculative investors pulling out, and even investors in the high-end market are quieter, as evidenced by the low number of private residential transactions in September 2010 with a median sale price of at least S$2,000 per sq ft,” says Adam Tan, corporate communications manager of PropNex. Chua said prices are likely to stabilise within six to 12 months, as the public will need to get used to the new measures. Luxury and rental markets set to rule in 2011 Despite the property curbs, analysts expect the luxury and rental markets to strengthen in 2011. “The luxury market will hardly be affected simply because a lot of the investors there dabble in private properties. They don’t really touch the HDB market,” says Tan. In addition, the rental market is expected to strengthen due to the increase in the number of PRs in Singapore. “As PRs are unable to buy HDB flats, they will need to rent from both the HDB and private property market,” says Chua. The HDB property curbs have hit PRs the most. They now cannot buy resale HDB flats without first disposing of their property overseas. Moving forward, analysts say another round of cooling measures could be introduced depending on circumstances. “Should there be more desperate buyers than sellers, the government will come up with another round of measures,” says Chua.

Waitress 'was on phone to doctor of dying Jackson' AFP - Saturday, January 8 LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A cocktail waitress recounted Friday how she was called by Michael Jackson's personal doctor the day the pop icon died and heard a "commotion," apparently as the medic struggled with the crisis. Sade Anding, from Houston, Texas, was one of 11 people with whom Dr. Conrad Murray spoke by telephone in the hours leading up to Jackson's shock death on June 25, 2009. The waitress said she had met Murray in a Texas steakhouse in February 2009. The pair had exchanged phone numbers, and she received a call from the doctor on the morning of the fateful day. "He told me that he was doing well," she said, adding she had cut him off and started talking, but realized five or 10 minutes later that Murray was no longer on the phone. "I heard a commotion... coughing, mumbling of voices," she said, adding that she was unsure if the mumbling was coming from Murray. Anding said she stayed on the phone for about five minutes, saying it was unusual for Murray to stop responding. "I just remember saying, 'Hello? Hello? Hello? Are you there?' Are you there? Are you there?'" she said. The waitress eventually hung up and tried to call Murray back and send him text messages, but got no reply. Prosecutors allege that Murray, 57, negligently administered an overdose of the powerful sedative propofol to help Jackson sleep and then tried to cover it up. Paramedics and emergency room doctors this week have said Murray initially failed to mention having administered propofol, and that Jackson appeared to have died at least 20 minutes before they arrived at his mansion. On Thursday paramedic Martin Blount said that when he arrived Jackson seemed to have been dead for at least 20 minutes, despite Murray's claim that he had stopped breathing a minute before they were called. Blount added that Murray initially denied having given Jackson any medications, but said he saw the doctor holding a needle and spotted three bottles of the anesthetic Lidocaine on the floor. On Friday Anding said she heard nothing more until LA police contacted her. She called Murray, who apologized for involving her, and urged her to call his lawyer to be present if she met with detectives. Los Angeles detective Dan Myers told the hearing that Murray had made or received 11 cellphone calls, totalling some 90 minutes of conversations, in the roughly five hours leading up to midday on the fateful day. These included a 32-minute call to his medical practice in Las Vegas and an 11-minute call shortly before Murray called Jackson's personal assistant at 12:12 pm to say the singer had had a "bad reaction." Prosecutors allege that Murray "abandoned his patient" after administering the propofol some time between 10:40 am and 11:00 am. Murray could face up to four years in jail and lose his doctor's license if the case goes to full trial -- as is widely expected -- and he is convicted. Jackson's death shocked the entertainment world and triggered intense debate over the performer's health in the run-up to the London concerts, known as the "This is It" tour.

What to Say When the Interviewer Asks How Much You Make By Andrew G. Rosen Posted: January 4, 2011 During the interview process, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll be asked about your salary requirements. Along with that question, a hiring manager or human resources employee might casually ask, “How much do you make now?” Employers want to know what you earn now or what you’ve earned in the past for one reason: so they can hire you for the lowest possible salary. If you answer truthfully, you could be looking at a minimal increase from your last job. But if you lie, you could cost yourself the opportunity. Here are a few honest ways to tackle the question: 1. Tell the truth. Be honest about what you make, but also say how much money you’d require to accept the new position. If your salary request is light years away from your current earnings, explain why you’re underpaid in your current job—maybe your company has financial problems, for example—and why you deserve more in your next position. Gaining experience or education during the last year likely means you deserve a raise. 2. Explain what you’d like to make. Rather than giving your current or former salary amount, make eye contact with the employer and tell her what you’re worth, and how certain on-the-job perks like bonuses, health benefits, and vacation could make a compensation package more appealing to you. This allows you to be truthful, but without answering the question. And sometimes simply saying out loud what you deserve is a good reminder of what you’re worth. 3. Don’t say exactly what you’d like to make, but offer a salary range. Without offering your current salary, provide a salary range of what you’d like to make. Use a wide range, for example, between $50,000 and $70,000. Say you’ll have more concrete salary expectations when you have a better understanding of what the job entails. This is a stall tactic; the longer you put off this question, the better your negotiating position. 4. Turn the question on its head. Tell the employer you’d rather not talk about your previous salary, and would prefer to concentrate on getting on the right career track with an organization you want to grow with. Emphasize your commitment to the company and make it clear that you want to work there. Then explain that they have a better understanding of the market value for someone with your skills. If you want, you can even shift the question back to the employer, and ask what he thinks you’re worth. When you’re interviewing for a job, your goal is simple: get an offer. Even if you can’t agree on salary, you may be able to negotiate other valued perks such as the ability to telecommute, additional days off, or a customizable in-office schedule. Many larger companies use formulas and third-parties to limit flexibility, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Every scenario is different, and what will work in one case might not work in another. That’s why the best advice is likely to come from you, the reader. How have you answered when a hiring manager asked, “How much do you currently make?” and what were the results? Andrew G. Rosen is the founder and editor of Jobacle.com, a career advice blog. He is also the author of How to Quit Your Job.

How to Rock Your Next Job Interview Tim Tyrell-Smith, On Wednesday 5 January 2011, 3:46 SGT It's easy to get nervous before a job interview, especially if you haven't had one for a while. And if you've been out of work for an extended period of time, each opportunity to interview becomes increasingly important, adding to the pressure. But with a new year comes a fresh start. And your next interviewer knows nothing of your past mistakes. So take the time to prepare using these tips, and you'll walk into your next interview confident and ready to put your best foot forward. Here's how to rock your next interview: 1. Be yourself. It's tempting to morph during an interview. To tweak an answer to tell the story you think someone wants to hear. To say you like to work independently when you don't. Tell your true story and let your true personality shine through. If the job is really a good match, you'll fare better by being yourself. 2. Learn to enjoy the interview. We don't have many chances to compete in life anymore. But a job interview is a chance to show off what you can do for a new team. Relish this opportunity even during the interview itself and prove yourself to a new crowd. 3. Engage your interviewer. An interview should be a two-way dialogue, where both parties get a chance to ask probing questions. So ask away! And don't be afraid to ask tough questions. When you engage your interviewer, your interview is more likely to become a business discussion and less of an interrogation. 4. Forget the odds are not in your favor. It doesn't matter if five other candidates have already interviewed for the job. And you can forget the five who will interview after you, too. Those factors are out of your control, so put those thoughts away and interview without restriction. 5. Fill your head with victories. Instead of thinking about your shortcomings, play a "best of" reel in your head when you have breaks during the day. Focus your mind on days or hours when you were on top of the world, loved by everyone as the rainmaker or problem-solver. You're offering this new company your best, so that's all you need to showcase. 6. Get ready, then let go. Of course it's possible to over-prepare for a job interview. But you can also forget to transition from preparation to execution. So when it comes time to do the talking, put all the preparation tools away so you can relax and focus on your goal. 7. Get to know your audience in advance. You can ask better questions if you know something about your interviewers. Researching them will also help you prepare for any questions they'll ask you. To find information about a company or hiring manager, use LinkedIn and Google. And expect the employer to do the same research on you. 8. Bring a few great stories. Everyone loves a good story. And interviewers love true and compelling stories of how you helped a business. Prepare a positive story (situation, action, and result) based on a key events in your past. Be sure you can identify the specific role you played. 9. Smile at everyone you meet. A confident smile shows you're relaxed and happy to be there. But it also can prompt a reaction from people you meet. If they don't smile back, you've learned something. 10. Watch and listen for key signals. Is the office is busy? Vibrant? Social? Compare what you see and hear to your workplace preferences. Whether it's a good or bad fit, you've learned something about the company culture. 11. Show genuine interest and passion. Results from recent job interview research suggest that your passion and excitement for the position really does matter. So when you feel it, show it. This is likely to positively influence an interviewer and change the mood in the room. 12. Focus on the first five minutes. Most interviewers say they know in the first five minutes whether the candidate is a good fit for the job. Your handshake, first few answers, and body language all have the potential to signal strength during a job interview. Have a great "first five" and you're in good shape! 13. Try the company's products. If you're interviewing with a company that makes a product or service you can touch or experience, get your hands on it. Test it and be ready to share your experience. 14. Slide up your dimmer switch. Sometimes you need a mental gimmick to shake off the nerves, pull you up, and get your light to shine. Just before walking in the front door, mentally slide up your dimmer switch, and engage the first person you meet with a confident smile. 15. Be honest. An occasional "I don't know" will not ruin your chances at landing the job. Nor is it destructive to admit to not having a certain experience. Delivering the truth says you're comfortable and confident with what you know and what you can do. Tim Tyrell-Smith is founder of Tim's Strategy, a site that helps professionals succeed in job search, career and life strategy.

Championship - Keane sacked by Ipswich Fri, 07 Jan 14:22:00 2011 Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has been sacked as manager of Championship club Ipswich Town. The 39-year-old Keane, who had been at Ipswich since April 2009, leaves with the club sitting 19th in the 24-team league after seven defeats in their last nine games. Keane won 28 and lost 28 of his 81 games in charge of the Tractor Boys since taking over from Jim Magilton. The former Ireland midfielder's departure comes less than a week before Ipswich host Arsenal in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final. Keane said: "I’m hugely disappointed to be leaving Portman Road. Results haven’t been as good as I’d have hoped so far this season and when results aren’t good the manager gets the sack, that’s the game. "However, I have a genuine belief that we were making progress and that the players have what it takes to turn this season around. We were preparing well for our visit to Chelsea on Sunday and then our Carling Cup semi with Arsenal. "Getting to that semi proves what I know the team is capable of. I was also working hard to build the squad during the transfer window, looking at our options to attract new players to the club. "I have loved my time at Ipswich, living locally to the club with my family, and have a massive respect for the club, its staff, the fans and the community and I wish them well." First-team coach Ian McParland will take charge at Stamford Bridge. "We have taken the decision now to terminate his contract having reached the halfway point in the season," chief executive Simon Clegg told a news conference. "As he (Keane) has said himself on a number of occasions, the performances on the pitch since November have simply not been good enough. In spite investment in the playing staff and a lack of improvement on the pitch, the results speak for themselves." It is unclear whether a new manager will have been appointed by the time the Gunners visit Suffolk. "I hope to be in a position to make an announcement regarding the new manager over the coming days," said Clegg. PA Sport

Five causes of bad breath It can spoil more than your social life Thu 6 Jan, 2011 08:00 am GMT Bad breath will kill your social life, so it's reasonable that you should figure out what may be causing it. Some causes, like spicy foods, are easy to fix, but others may well point to something more serious. But let's take this step by step. How do you know you've got bad breath? Well, people may be keeping their distance, but may be too polite to tell you the real reason. If you're lucky, someone will be direct, but failing that, you can lick your wrist and smell your saliva - if it stinks, your breath probably does too. Ok, so you've got bad breath. Let's look at the possible causes. Smoking Are you a smoker? Smoking, aside from the many other obvious ways in which it is bad for you, will make your breath smell of stale smoke. It will also irritate your gums and may increase your risk of gum disease, which can also cause bad breath. Solution? Stop smoking. Food Next is food. If you like your garlic and onions raw, you'll just have to choose between this particular passion and decent breath. Alcohol and coffee also affect your breath, but fortunately you can get rid of your bad breath by limiting your intake. Solution? Watch what you eat and drink. Keep in mind that eating infrequently, or dieting can also cause bad breath. This is also the case if you're not eating carbohydrates. There, eat that croissant without guilt - it's good for your breath. Hygiene Of course, if you're casual about keeping your mouth clean, no amount of cutting down on garlic will be of help. The old "I'll brush in the morning" routine doesn't really cut it. Your mouth is full of bacteria which cause plaque, gum disease and dental decay. When the bacteria are mixed with saliva and food trapped between your teeth, a bad odour ensues. The bacteria can also reside on your tongue, which will also impact your bad breath. Solution? Obviously, floss and brush, at least twice a day. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles, and take your time to clean the teeth and scrape the tongue. You can also rinse with anti bacterial mouthwash, though this does not replace brushing your teeth, no matter what your friends tell you. Visit a dentist. Gum disease So, after reading this article you've been diligent and keeping away from the garlic and brushing furiously, but the bad breath persists? Well, you might have gum disease or dental decay. This is something that should immediately be addressed by your dentist. Medical problems Though this is rare, your bad breath could actually indicate a medical condition. For instance, your mouth might not be producing enough saliva, or you could have an infection in your lungs, throat or nose. The bad breath could also indicate you have diabetes, liver or kidney problems, or that you suffer from heart burn. If you've been diligent about your o.r.a.l cleanliness and the bad breath persists, see your GP. And if you're not quite concerned enough yet, here is something that will make you brush as soon as you're done with this article. Recent studies have confirmed that poor o.r.a.l hygiene can actually increase your risk of heart attack. This is because poor hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, which provide bacteria with a route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease.

Premier League - Great players, Rubbish Managers Fri, 07 Jan 11:35:00 2011 Bryan Robson - The first of Fergie's Manchester United 'disciples' to establish himself in management, Captain Marvel set an unhappy precedent for the likes of Keane and Paul Ince. Lasted seven mediocre years at Middlesbrough, the most notable of which saw Boro reach two cup finals and go down. Subsequently failed at Bradford, West Brom and Sheffield United. Ruud Gullit - Skippered the Dutch to their only major tournament success in 1988 but proved too intelligent to be much good at management. Became the first foreign boss to win the FA Cup while at Chelsea but then fell out with the board. Fell out with Alan Shearer at Newcastle, and recently fell out with the whole LA Galaxy squad during a nine-month stint. Glenn Hoddle - Why it is a bad idea for national teams to take a flier on unproven managers. Hoddle's player-manager spells at Swindon and Chelsea offered little indication of the faith-healing madness he would bring to the England job. Insisted not only on taking part in training but showboating throughout and repeatedly nutmegging a bemused Martin Keown. Ossie Ardiles - At least he had the guts to impose his own tactical blueprint at Tottenham. Pioneered the novel 5-0-5 formation at the start of the 1994/95 season, employing an attacking quintet of Juergen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, Ilie Dumitrescu, Darren Anderton and Nicky Barmby. Tragically, it failed and Ardiles was out of a job by October. Alan Ball - If a flat cap and disarming honesty were enough to be a top manager, 1966 World Cup-winner Ball would have been a dugout legend - but Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho prove that being a lovely man is not a pre-requisite for success. Was nice enough to gain employment at Blackpool, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Exeter City, Southampton, Manchester City and Portsmouth. Bobby Charlton - Another England hero from 1966, Charlton's maturity, leadership and track record seemed tailor-made for management. Took Nobby Stiles with him to Preston North End where he became player-manager. It did not go well, and he was off at the end of the season. John Barnes - 'Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious' is pretty much all that needs to be said about Barnes's disastrous tenure at Parkhead. And two greats who succeeded: Franz Beckenbauer - Der Kaiser won the 1990 World Cup with West Germany, then proceeded to manage in brief, successful bursts. Won the French title during a single season at Marseille, then snaffled a Bundesliga and a UEFA Cup in spells of six and two months at Bayern Munich in 1994 and 1996. Johan Cruyff - Introduced a 3-1-2-3-1 tactical system (seriously) at Ajax, which the club used to win the Champions League some years after Cruyff's departure. Then created Barcelona's Dream Team, winning the 1992 European Cup and signing legendary players such as Romario, Hristo Stoichkov, Michael Laudrup and Ronald Koeman. Alex Chick / Eurosport

FACTBOX-Soccer-New Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish Sat, 08 Jan 14:55:00 2011 Factbox on Kenny Dalglish who was named Liverpool manager until the end of the season on Saturday. Born March 4, 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland. EARLY CAREER Dalglish joined Celtic in 1967 and after establishing himself in the first team he went on to win four Scottish league titles. He made his debut for Scotland in 1971 and scored his first goal for his country a year later in a 2-0 victory over Denmark. LIVERPOOL Dalglish signed for Bob Paisley's Liverpool in 1977 as a replacement for Kevin Keegan for a then British record fee of 440,000 pounds. He made his debut, wearing what became his famous number seven shirt, in the season-opening Charity Shield against Manchester United. He followed that by scoring seven minutes into his league debut. He became known to Liverpool fans as "King Kenny" and went on to score 172 goals in 515 appearances for the club. Dalglish was a central figure in a successful period for Liverpool in which they won five league titles, three European Cups and five domestic cups between 1978 and 1985. On the international stage, he made 102 appearances for his country, making him still the most capped Scotland player. He also holds the joint scoring record of 30 goals with Denis Law. PLAYER/MANAGER Dalglish became player-manager at Liverpool following the Heysel stadium disaster in 1985 and enjoyed instant success, winning the club's first league and cup double in his first season in charge. His iconic status was cemented during his six years as manager with the club winning three domestic league titles and two FA Cups. HILLSBOROUGH Dalglish was manger of Liverpool at the time of the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989 in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final match against Nottingham Forest. Dalglish was personally affected by the tragedy and left the club on health grounds in 1991 following a 4-4 draw with Everton in a FA Cup fifth-round replay. BLACKBURN Dalglish returned to club management eight months after leaving Liverpool with then second division side Blackburn Rovers. The club were owned by steel tycoon Jack Walker who made large sums of money available to Dalglish to spend on players. Dalglish guided the Lancashire club into the Premier League in 1992 and after investing heavily on the likes of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton he won his fourth top flight title as a manager in 1995. NEWCASTLE AND CELTIC Dalglish joined Newcastle as manager in 1997 and guided them to second place in the Premier League that season. The following campaign, however, he finished 13th and despite reaching the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal, he was sacked. He joined Celtic 1999 initially as director of football but was appointed manager following the sacking of John Barnes. He guided the club to the Scottish League Cup final where they beat Aberdeen 2-0 but left the club shortly after. RETURN TO LIVERPOOL He returned to Anfield in the summer of 2009 to work as an academy and club ambassador. He applied for the job as manager following the sacking of then boss Rafael Benitez but was overlooked in favour of Roy Hodgson. Hodgson struggled to win over the fans with a string of disappointing results and calls for Dalglish to return as manager became more vocal, with supporters repeatedly chanting his name from the terraces. Liverpool's patience with Hodgson ran out following a midweek defeat by Blackburn Rovers and Dalglish was appointed manager until the end of the season.

FACTBOX-Soccer-Former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson Sat, 08 Jan 11:59:00 2011 Factbox on Roy Hodgson who was replaced as Liverpool manager on Saturday. Born Aug. 9, 1947 in Croydon, England. A respected and well-liked manager, Roy Hodgson enjoyed high profile spells with the Swiss national team, Inter Milan, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham before his tenure at Liverpool ended with the club just four points above the relegation zone after 20 games. MAKING HIS NAME After successful coaching jobs in Sweden and Switzerland, Hodgson took over the Swiss national team in 1992 and led them to the 1994 World Cup, losing just one qualifying match. The Swiss finished runners-up in their group before losing to Spain in the next round. After qualifying for Euro 96, Hodgson left for a two-year stint at Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan in 1995 where he led them to the 1997 UEFA Cup final. ROVERS SACKING He returned to England at the end of that season to manage former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers, helping them to UEFA Cup qualification in his first campaign. However in the second, Hodgson's expensively assembled squad flopped and he was sacked in December 1998. The following year he enjoyed a brief return to Inter as caretaker manager before heading back to Switzerland with Grasshoppers for a year. Hodgson spent the next six years managing sides in Italy and Norway as well as two international stints, firstly with the United Arab Emirates in 2002 and then Finland in 2005, where he narrowly missed out on Euro 2008 qualification. FAIRYTALE TO NIGHTMARE Having been named on several occasions as an outsider for the England national job, Hodgson returned home with Premier League strugglers Fulham in December 2007. He received great praise for narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of the campaign before achieving an unlikely seventh place finish and Europa League spot the following season. Hodgson's side went on to enjoy a fairytale season in 2009-2010, finishing runners-up to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final -- their first major European final appearance. His exploits earned him the League Manager of the Year award and led to his appointment at Liverpool. His time at Anfield was disappointing, with the team winning just seven of 20 Premier League games and the manager losing the backing of the majority of Liverpool fans. Hodgson left 2009 Premier League runners-up Liverpool 12th in the table, 19 points behind leaders Manchester United.

Can King Kenny restore passion? Sat Jan 08 11:30AM Ever since the draw for the FA Cup third round was made, Manchester United versus Liverpool has been the stand-out fixture. The departure of Roy Hodgson and appointment of Kenny Dalglish has just pushed it to another level. I thought Liverpool either had to back Hodgson or sack him, and they have gone for the second option, even if it was officially described as 'mutual consent'. Hodgson has been desperately unlucky at Liverpool. The fans resented his appointment and never gave him a chance, but of course there is no getting past how badly the team have played this season. The days when a manager got three years minimum to sort the team out are gone - half a season of disastrous results was enough to see Hodgson removed. From the club's point of view, it is probably good news, though. They needed clarity and they have got it. There would have been no point letting Hodgson stay on through the January transfer window if they had no intention of keeping him long term. This is not just a crucial time in their season, but in their history as a football club. As poor as they have been - and the performance against Blackburn was as bad as I have ever seen them - there is still time for them to turn this around. That is how close things are in the league this season. Liverpool can barely afford a season without being involved in Europe, and the club's owners have made swift and decisive action. Will King Kenny's appointment be enough? Only time will tell. He is an inspirational figure much loved by the fans, but he has to work with the same squad as Hodgson. He can get off to the perfect start at Old Trafford on Sunday, but I'm not sure that there are enough players at Liverpool who really understand the magnitude of this match, even the English lads who arrived this summer. Joe Cole and Paul Konchesky have both played in some big matches and plenty of East and West London derbies, but until this season they will have seen nothing like playing United in a Liverpool shirt. I never came close to appreciating what a big derby was when I was at QPR and Fulham, but when I came up to Manchester and we played City I thought to myself 'this is a big game'. When we played Leeds, and it was just as immense, and then walking out against Liverpool was just incredible. Recently I was talking to my old England colleague Steve McMahon, who was in the last Liverpool side to win the league in 1990. He said that if you had told him then that in 20 years time United would be on the verge of surpassing their haul of championships he would have never believed you. That just puts into context how far United have moved on, but more so how much Liverpool have regressed in the past two decades. The most abiding memory for me which really says how big a fixture this is comes from a match we played at Anfield in 1994. We were 3-0 up early on, but Nigel Clough scored twice and Neil Ruddock headed an equaliser in the latter stages of the second half. It was one of those crazy nights in the Premier League. Even though we had were riding high in the table and Liverpool were not the dominant force of old, we came into the dressing room relatively pleased to get a point at Anfield in the grand scheme of things. Alex Ferguson was not. He gave us the biggest rollocking of our lives. It was bad enough that we had lost a three-goal lead, but the fact it was against Liverpool is what really got him mad. Luckily, we went on to win the title that year! Kenny Dalglish knows what it means to represent Liverpool and to play in a fixture like this. His first job is to make sure his players also understand.

Premier League - Hodgson out, Dalglish in at Liverpool Sat, 08 Jan 11:12:00 2011 Roy Hodgson has left his post as Liverpool manager with club legend Kenny Dalglish put in charge until the end of the season. The announcement was made by the club with Liverpool currently sitting 12th in the Premier League table having suffered 12 defeats already this campaign. Hodgson leaves the Merseyside club after winning just 13 of 31 matches in charge. Dalglish, who managed Liverpool to the double back in 1985/86, will take the reins at Anfield until the end of the season, and his first game in charge sees the Reds travel to Old Trafford to take on rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday. Principal Owner John Henry commented: "We are grateful for Roy's efforts over the past six months, but both parties thought it in the best interests of the club that he stand down from his position as team manager. We wish him all the best for the future." Roy Hodgson said: "Being asked to manage Liverpool Football Club was a great privilege. Any manager would be honoured to manage a club with such an incredible history, such embedded tradition and such an amazing set of fans. "Liverpool is one of the great clubs in world football. I have, however, found the last few months some of the most challenging of my career. "I am very sad not to have been able to put my stamp on the squad, to be given the time to bring new players into the club in this transfer window and to have been able to be part of the rebuilding process at Liverpool," he added. "The club has some great, world-class players, with whom it has been a pleasure to work and I wish the entire squad well for the rest of the season. "I thank those with whom I have built up a close working relationship at the club for their loyalty and support during very testing times, and finally of course to the Liverpool fans, your passion and dedication to the club will see Liverpool at the top of the game once more." Club legend Kenny Dalglish will assume control of team matters for Sunday's third round FA Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Henry added: "We are delighted that Kenny Dalglish has agreed to step in and manage the team for Sunday's FA Cup tie at Old Trafford and for the remainder of the season. "Kenny was not just a legendary footballer, he was the third of our three most successful managers - three giants. We are extraordinarily fortunate and grateful that he has decided to step in during the middle of this season." Chairman Tom Werner said: "No one who cares for this great club has been happy with the way this season has unfolded and we have examined options and considered at length what is best for us going forward. "Kenny will bring considerable experience to the position and provide management and leadership for the rest of the season." Eurosport

Veri nicezzz neat tanky & lovely furnishing ! Enjoy ya stocking up but do it slowly.